What Are the Best Ferro Rod Fire Starters for Hiking, Camping, and Survival?

Gerber Bear Grylls Fire Starter

We honestly didn't expect a lot from the Gerber Bear Grylls fire starter, but it blew everyone out of the water with its capable ferro rod, ergonomic grip, and extra features. It's our top pick out of the bunch. 

At first glance, the Gerber Bear Grylls fire starter looks like a kitschy piece of ripoff gear, but upon closer inspection, the opposite is actually true.

Sure, it may have the "Bear Grylls" stamp of approval that most of us love to hate, but when you strip it down to functionality, this fire starter can undoubtedly deliver. It's got a robust cylindrical body made of tough plastic. It’s obviously chunkier than most, but it does give a good grip.

Printed all around the barrel are some basic distress signal tips like Morse code SOS, hand signals, and alpine rescue signals. It also has a small handbook full of basic survival tips.

You can obviously do without these printed tips and reminders if you're a seasoned prepper, but they're great to have in hand for newbies or weekend campers.

The ferro rod is smaller than what we’d like, but the striker makes up for it big time. It’s plenty capable of producing a lot of sparks, enough to ignite your tinder with just one strike. The grip is ergonomic, too.

Unlike Light My Fire, Gerber’s lanyard has just the right length for you to pull back and strike that ferro rod. Aside from the ferro rod’s solid performance, what we love is that the Gerber Bear Grylls fire starter has a lot of small features that make up one reliable survival tool.

It has a hollow compartment for fire starters. Pop the cap open and you'll find a cotton ball fire starter stuffed inside. Small detail, but a great touch nonetheless.

The fire-starting kit also comes with a small rescue whistle that's capable of making a whole lot of noise — something you’d want to have in case of emergencies. All in all, the Gerber Bear Grylls fire starter doesn’t look like you should take it seriously, but it does its job pretty well — and then some.

The price point isn’t so bad, either. The ferro rod itself could have been bigger, but overall, we begrudgingly admit that this one’s a great product.

Bayite Fire Starter

There's a couple of reasons why this giant fire starter by Bayite is selling like pancakes on Amazon—it's big, it's cheap, and most of all, it works like a charm.

At first glance, the Bayite fire starter looks too good to be true.

Seriously, a six-inch long ferro rod, with 9 feet of paracord? Will this thing actually work, or will it be a flop? Thankfully, we got positive results upon testing—in the form of huge sparks.

Once you scratch the protective layer off, the Bayite will easily give you a lot of hot sparks in a jiffy. You don't have to try very hard, either. The material on the Bayite is on the softer side, thanks to the higher magnesium content, so the shavings come off quite easily. One stroke, and you'll be able to light a good piece of tinder.

You don't have to worry about wearing your fire starter too easily, either. You can strike it all you want, and you'll only have scratched one side. While we don't know for sure if the Bayite will indeed yield 12,000 strikes as advertised, we are pretty positive that it will last you a long time based on the diameter of the ferro rod alone.

We just wish that they'd come up with a stronger striker, though. As it is, the striker on the Bayite is on the small side, and its plastic handle feels rather flimsy. We imagine it would be hard to properly grip it, especially when it's cold or raining.

Thankfully, you can use the back of your knife to remedy this situation. The Bayite doesn't have a lot of bells and whistles, but it does have a nice, long length of paracord attached to it. It's done in a four-strand crown braid out of the box to help you get a better grip on the rod.

When the going gets tough, you can easily deploy the paracord and use it to catch food, create shelter, administer first aid, and do a bunch of other things. All things considered, the Bayite firestarter is a robust, no-nonsense fire-making tool that's best suited for seasoned preppers who don't mind a bit of weight. It's the epitome of KISS—keeping it simple, stupid.

It might not have a lot of tricks up its proverbial sleeve, but it will keep you warm—and alive when SHTF.

überleben Zünden Fire Starter

Avid bushcrafters will love the überleben Zünden Fire Starter—we know we did. With its ergonomic wooden handle, heavy-duty ferro rod, and multipurpose striker, this made-in-Germany beauty checked all of our boxes and more.

This firestarter comes in three kinds: trad, pro, and fatty. For this review, we got the trad variety, which has a ferro rod of about 0.7 centimeters in diameter. The überleben trad is pretty light at only 1.7 ounces. It also has a very simple, straightforward design, but don't be fooled: this firestarter's functionality is no joke.

You get a ferro rod that can take up to a whopping 12,000 strikes, a hardwood handle that feels comfortable in the hand, a decent length of 550 paracord, and a striker that also serves as a ruler, hex wrench, bottle opener, and map scale. Plus, it has a concave serrated edge.

This multipurpose striker is actually one of the best features of the überleben. Not only does it allow you to do other tasks like open bottles and tighten hex screws, but it also does a pretty darn good job of creating sparks. It's just the right size and has rounded edges for great grip.

Despite being thinner than most strikers, the überleben's striker is solid and can take a beating. You won't have any trouble creating a shower of sparks, even if the überleben's Sånft-kōrr™ ferro has a harder material than, say, the Bayite or Bear Grylls firestarters. The concave serrated edge is a nice touch, too.

You can use it to scrape magnesium shavings or create tinder from dry sticks and twigs. The paracord is shorter than we'd like, but it's not a big deal. You can just switch that one out with a longer one. All in all, the überleben Zünden Fire Starter is a solid companion for most outdoorsmen, especially avid bushcrafters. The only downside to it, really, is its price point.

Light My Fire Swedish Firesteel

Looking for a minimalistic firestriker? The Light My Fire ferro rod may be your best bet, thanks to its ergonomic handle and striker. But if you're the kind who likes getting the best bang for their buck, you'll want to give this one a pass. 

Light My Fire is a pretty popular firestarter among many survivalists and outdoorsmen, but it's not without its faults.

Let's get those out of the way before we proceed with the good stuff. First, the accompanying whistle just doesn't cut it. It makes a sound, but just barely. It’s nowhere near the Gerber’s whistle. Good luck trying to attract a rescuer with it.

Next, its lanyard is way too short. Like the whistle, it functions, but just barely. It lets you pull the ferro rod back enough for the striker to hit it, but it literally comes up short, so you might want to change it with a longer length of 550 paracord.

Now that we got those gripes out of the way, let’s take a look at what we like about the LMF, starting with the ferro rod itself. 

We love that for such a compact firestarter, it’s got a robust and chunky ferro rod. We love the material itself, too. LMF is known to have a harder alloy composed of iron, magnesium, lanthanum, and cerium. Its sparks aren’t as huge as the Bayite, but you can rely on the LMF to keep producing sparks for much longer.

We especially like the handles on both the ferro rod and the striker. They’re designed to fit your thumbs well, so they’re quite ergonomic, even if the handles themselves are made from light plastic.

Overall, the LMF’s a good choice if you want a low-key minimalist firestriker with an ergonomic grip. We’re not big fans of its whistle and lanyard, though.

EXOTAC nanoSTRIKER XL

This tiny ferro rod is worth considering if you’re into ultralight backpacking or need a firestarter for your EDC kit. It barely weighs an ounce, and it's only half an inch in diameter. 

We had high expectations for the Exotac nanoSTRIKER XL. Unfortunately, this tiny firestriker failed to deliver in some key areas. Here’s what we found out: at barely one ounce, the Exotac nanoSTRIKER XL is the lightest and smallest ferro rod in the bunch. It’s also only half an inch in diameter, so you can easily fit it in a key chain or your pocket.

This feature makes the Exotac a hit among folks who want a small firestarter for EDC or ultralight backpacking. On the flip side, this might not be the best choice if you have big hands or if you need something more substantial. The whole firestarter only clocks in at barely 4 inches, so there isn’t a lot to hold on to if you’ve got meaty paws.

You can use some paracord to improve grip on the striker, but we’ve seen loads of firestarters with more ergonomic handles.

As far as design goes, the Exotac nanoSTRIKER has some pros and cons. We really like the tough anodized aluminum casing that houses the ferro rod and striker. Each end of the casing is equipped with O-rings, making the Exotac practically waterproof. You can leave this little thing fully submerged and still use it without a hitch.

We love the knurling on the Exotac's body, too. Since this firestriker's pretty thin, any feature that will enhance grip and dexterity is very much appreciated.

Now, for the not-so-great things, like the ferro rod itself. The entire firestriker is made to be compact, so the ferro rod is screwed onto its base. You can easily remove it as needed but this also means that the rod can get loose after some time. We’re not big fans of its striker either.

Unlike most regular ferro firestarters, the Exotac’s tungsten carbide striker is sharp, small, and cube-shaped. You can easily lose it if you’re not careful. Using it also takes a bit of practice (and a lot of fine motor skills!) to produce some decent sparks.

Can you imagine trying to start a fire with the Exotac while wearing a pair of thick gloves during the winter? We can, and it ain’t peachy. All in all, we think that the Exotac nanoSTRIKER XL is ideal for folks who don’t mind getting a smaller, lighter firestarter, like ultralight backpackers or those building an EDC kit.

However, if you need something more robust with a cheaper price tag to boot, then you might want to look at the other ferro rods on this list.

UST Blastmatch

A one-handed firestarter? That’s the goal UST had in mind with the BlastMatch—a spring-loaded firestarter with a built-in striker. Seems awesome, right? It did to us. But then we tried it, and it fell flat. 

Hand injuries are extremely common when you're out and about, so the folks at UST took it upon themselves to come up with a firestarter that can be operated with just one hand. The result? The UST BlastMatch Fire Starter, a compact, spring-loaded firestarter with a built-in striker.

The idea is to create sparks by pushing the ferro rod onto a flat surface, like the ground or a smooth slab of rock or wood. The ferro rod rubs against the small piece of flint, it creates friction, you get a shower of sparks. Sounds like a great idea, right? On paper, it does.

In real life? Not so much. Looking at the BlastMatch, you'll see that it's pretty compact. It clocks in at around 4 inches when closed and doesn't weigh all that much, so it's not a problem for our ultralight friends. The ferro rod's pretty thick and robust, too.

The downside is that the casing is made from flimsy plastic. Drop this and it’s game over for that one-handed operation. Another drawback is the mechanism itself.

First off, trying to push the ferro rod onto a flat surface can be pretty taxing on your hands. You gotta keep the Blastmatch perpendicular to the surface or tilted at a 45-degree angle to create decent sparks.

You also need to put a considerable amount of pressure on your fingers to create friction with the flint. If you’re looking for a hassle-free one-handed operation, you’ll do a better — and easier — job with a Zippo or a BIC. We’re also not big fans of the moving parts involved. The more there are, the higher chances of malfunction. The spring can easily rust and stop working altogether. The hinges on the cover don’t look like they could withstand a lot of use and abuse, either.

The only advantage that the Blastmatch has against the traditional lighter is that it’s waterproof. You can also twist the mounted ferro rod to scrape on another side. If you’re still keen on testing out the Blastmatch for yourself, practice using it with both your dominant and non-dominant hands.

Working the spring mechanism takes a lot of getting used to, so practice and find out what technique works best for you. It’s also wise to keep a spare striker around in case the spring mechanism breaks.

While the Blastmatch’s concept and execution leave a lot to be desired, its ferro rod’s pretty decent.